Its a privilege to introduce some of the first sounds taken from Elucid’s upcoming release Super Chocolate Black Simian. More dark hearted negromancy cataloging otherworldly journeys into rap, dub, and noise terrorism.

Long awaited double vinyl EP from critically acclaimed Ninja Tune artist The Bug. Featuring Roots Manuva and remixes from Autechre and Scratcha DVA, plus vocalist Hitomi, the Infected PR is one of The Bug’s most accessible records to date. The EP also features high profile artists including Roots Manuva, Autechre and K Funky’s rising star Scratcha DVA . Killer live show – the Bug sells out large capacity venues. One of his most accessible records to date, featuring King Midas Sound vocalist Hitomi .The EP released in the run up to forthcoming dub battle between the Bug and legendary producer Adrian Sherwood. The Bug has been personally asked to remix Thom Yorke, Grace Jones, Einsturzende Neubauten and Primal Scream, and has compiled jazz & dub compilations for Virgin Records. The Bug fans include – Aphex Twin, Massive Attack, Adrian Sherwood, Andy Weatherall, Kid 606, Jerry Dammers (The Specials) amongst others

Esteemed London imprint Soul Jazz Records have announced details for Riddim Box: Excursions In The UK Funky Underground, a two-disc compilation due out in November.

Many of Soul Jazz’s compilations aim to survey a local scene or musical movement, and they’ve always had a soft spot for bass music from the UK; their Box of Dub series helped chart dubstep’s ascent from 2007 on, and just last month they released Future Bass, a collection of genre-bending tunes by artists like Four Tet and Ramadanman. With Riddim Box, they turn their lens on what The Guardian has called “probably the most exciting development in UK music since garage became grime.” The compilation gives the broad strokes of funky’s history so far, showcasing anthems by genre innovators like Altered Natives, NB Funky and MJ Cole. A few cross-over tracks are included as well, such as Kode9’s “Black Sun” and Radio Slave’s remix of “Blaze n’ Cook” by Stereotyp and Al Haca.

It seems like ages ago, but it has only been a year since we put Cooly G on the cover of XLR8R and began exploring the mutant strain of UK funky being turned out by a select crew of UK producers. A big part of that article was focused around DVA (a.k.a. Scratcha DVA a.k.a. Leon Smart). The former grime disciple and long-time Rinse FM jock was one of the first artists to champion the deeper, housier side of funky, and continues to push boundaries with his percussion-heavy production style and occasionally bonkers sense of melody. On top of his DJ duties, he also runs his own label and has released music on Blackdown’s Keysound Recordings and Kode9’s iconic Hyperdub label. In fact, Hyperdub is home to Scratcha’s next 12″, “Just Vybe” b/w “Step 2 Funk,” which includes a collaboration with vocalist Fatima. That record doesn’t drop until October 4, so this exclusive XLR8R podcast will have to tide over the DVA faithful in the meantime. As expected, he’s sprinkled in plenty of dubplates and unreleased tunes; pay close attention, as this mix is probably a good indication of where funky is headed next.

The Hard Wax and Ostgut Ton man lays down an energetic, hour-long mix for this week’s RA podcast.

As far as contemporary Berlin-based house and techno producers go, you don’t get much better than René Pawlowitz. When he’s not spending his time behind the counter at the city’s legendary Hard Wax record store, he’s busy conjuring up all manner of material in his studio, taking inspiration from classic Detroit and Berlin techno while infusing elements of hardcore, breakbeat, dubstep and ambient along the way. Although the majority of his output is released under the Shed banner, Pawlowitz has diversified his sound with a number of different pseudonyms. His white label offerings as Wax and EQD have become essential selections for fans of rugged Teutonic techno, while he’s also turned his hand to 140bpm bass music with his work as The Panamax Project.

Although René has garnered a reputation for his prolific and consistent approach club-oriented 12-inch singles, he’s also proved his mettle when it comes to creating larger bodies of work. His debut album came in at the #1 spot in our top albums of 2008, with RA’s Will Lynch championing its “lustrous aesthetic, oblique rhythms and coherent diversity,” so seeing as his sophomore full-length—entitled The Traveller—is due to hit the shops later this month, so we thought that it’d be the ideal time to let Pawlowitz demonstrate his idiosyncratic vision of how techno should be.(more at RA)